Quote:
Originally Posted by SteveEisenberg
If I understand correctly, some here are proposing that the publishers decrease their revenues by charging libraries substantially less than what their business people have determined are optimum prices.
|
How do you define optimum prices? I am guessing that publishers try to charge the highest amount possible without turning away customers. In that respect, they have the libraries in a bind. The library patrons want ebooks and they, not unreasonably, believe they have already paid for those ebooks through their taxes (and likely a library subscription). Libraries have little power to negotiate better licensing terms.
So lets reverse the question. Where do you think the library should get the extra funds to pay for the arbitrarily higher prices of ebooks they have to pay for? The taxpayers?
Anyway, in my opinion the problem is in the licensing. As it stands publishers can impose any restrictions they want. Some have commented that it comes with being in a free market, but to me it seems more like small monopolies. Personally, I would support having a set of "minimum rights" associated with purchasing an ebook that you cannot sign away by accepting a license (whether you are a library or consumer).